Renovations

How to: Repair wooden furniture legs

Use these handy tips and tricks to revive your wood furniture legs from every day wear and tear.

Wooden furniture legs take a lot of abuse from vacuum cleaners and rowdy pets alike. Our resourceful research editor, Mary Levitski, shows you how to revive them.

Steps for repair

1 Assess the finish. While these fixes are suited to unfinished and stained wood, they can damage varnished or painted surfaces. Always spot test first!

2 For dents, poke a few holes in the damaged section using a thin needle. Add a drop or two of water to the dent, and cover it with a damp cloth. Iron over the cloth using the cotton setting. The water that has absorbed into the wood will evaporate, expanding the compressed cells. This is a delicate process, so check under the cloth often to avoid damaging the piece. Repeat until the wood has fully regained its shape.

3 To fix any scrapes or scuffs, mix three parts white vinegar with one part hemp or walnut oil. Using a clean cloth, rub the mixture onto the damaged area. Let dry.

Extra tip

It might sound nutty, but small scratches in wood can be camouflaged by rubbing a walnut (shell removed) diagonally into the scratch.

Stylish solution

Sofa looking fab, but its legs are looking drab? Swap them out. We love the funky options from Prettypegs that are made especially for IKEA furniture (from $33 US each), but you can get creative with a DIY project, too.

Quick fixes

Repair minor damage with one of these handy products. Each comes in a variety of wood tones to match your furniture.

Stick
Tinted wax sticked are ideal for filling small dings and dents. Trade Secret fill sticks in Medium, Canadian Tire, $7 per pack of 3.

Cloth
Make restaining a breeze with these preloaded bloths. Just wipe on, wipe off and let dry for an hour. Minwax premoistened wood finishing cloths in Maple, Home Hardware, $13 per pack of 8.